Stuttgart City Council approves $12M budget

Stuttgart Alderman Jim Craig does not accept a salary from the city, but directs them to pay the street department for curb/gutter projects each month for the amount he would have received. Stuttgart City Council members receive $4,726.32 a year, which totals $23,631.60 a year.

The City of Stuttgart has $12,206,933 proposed to spend in 2013 with $12,210,031 as its proposed income. Each year the City of Stuttgart puts together its proposed operating budget for the year with the Stuttgart City Council adopting the budget on Dec. 31.

This year was no different.

“No, it is basically just like it was,” Stuttgart Mayor Marianne Maynard said about comparing the 2012 budget to 2013. But she feels the city is in good shape compared to other towns its size. “Yeah, I do. We are holding our own, better than others. We had some overages in some departments, be we have a sound budget basically this year.”

City employees will be seeing a pay increase, something Maynard said she has been working toward since holding the office of mayor.

“We have built-in raises for all departments in salaries. We try to do that every year, but raising salaries is not something that can be done overnight,” she explains.

Department: Mayor

Advertising $1,500

Curb/Gutter $4,700

Dues and subscriptions $1,500

Equipment: Tools, equipment $250

Insurance: Health $6,328

Maintenance, repairs and supplies $150

Medical $20

Miscellaneous/Special Projects $1,500

Office Expense $200

Retiree Pension $20,450

Salaries $67,630

Tax: FICA $4,010

Tax: Medicare $940

Training and travel $4,750

Utility: Telephone $650

Workers Compensation $395

Total: $115,003

“(Stuttgart Alderman) Jim Craig does not accept a salary from the city, but directs us to pay the street department for curb/gutter projects each month for the amount he would have received,” Jane Jackson, Stuttgart Finance Officer, said, explaining the Curb/Gutter line item in the mayor’s department budget.

The salaries in the Mayor's budget breaks down to $41,000 per year for the Mayor, $3,000 for the Mayor's auto allowance and $4,726.32 a year for Stuttgart City Council members. With five Stuttgart alderman that totals $23,631.60 a year.

Department: City Attorney

Dues and subscriptions $100

Office Expense $200

Salaries $29,000

Tax: FICA $1,800

Tax: Medicare $425

In the City Attorney budget the salary is not split, but is for City Attorney Malcolm Smith only, according to Jackson.

Department: City Clerk

Advertising $800

Dues and subscriptions $37,800

Equipment: Tools, equipment $500

Insurance: Health $13,050

Maintenance, repairs and supplies $2000

Medical $150

Miscellaneous/Special Projects $1000

Office Expense $3,000

Pension: City Contribution $3,700

Retiree Pension $10,250

Salaries $66,000

Tax: FICA $4,100

Tax: Medicare $960

Tax: Unemployment $10,000

Training and travel $3,000

Utility: Telephone $9,000

Workers Compensation $100

Total: $165,485

The City Clerk salary line item is broken down with City Clerk Mitri Greenhill receiving $40,000 per year. The deputy city clerk and a part-time secretary for the Stuttgart Planning Commission is also paid out of that salary, according to Jackson.

Page 2 of 2 - Department: Buildings and Property

Equipment: Tools, equipment $500

Insurance: Fire and casualty $5,350

Maintenance, repairs and supplies $10,000

Office expense $6,000

Salaries $10,300

Pension: City Contribution $810

Tax: FICA $639

Tax: Medicare $149

Tax: Property $15

Utility: Electricity $23,000

Utility: Gas $3,500

Utility: Street lights $80,400

Utility: Telephone $1,500

Utility: Traffic lights $0

Utility: Water $4,250

Total: $146,413

The Building and Property Department includes utilities and fire and casualty insurance for Stuttgart City Hall, located at 304 S. Maple St. and the Stuttgart District Court and Stuttgart Police Department, located at 514 S. Main. St.

The salary is paid to cleaning personnel, according to Jackson.

Department: Personnel

Dues and subscriptions $75

Equipment: Tools, equipment $100

Insurance: Health $9,025

Maintenance, repairs and supplies $250

Medical $20

Miscellaneous $100

Office Expense $700

Pension: City Contribution $5,900

Salaries $40,530

Tax: FICA $2,515

Tax: Medicare $590

Training and travel $2,500

Utility: Telephone $1,450

Workers Compensation $50

Total: $50

The Personnel department has only one employee.

— This is the first article in a series of articles about the City of Stuttgart's 2013 proposed budget.